New Braunfels to conduct full analysis of police headquarters due to structural issues

Digging deeper

The 65,000-square-foot New Braunfels Police Headquarters project had a contracted warranty of one year during which 193 items were identified, submitted and completed. Door adjustments, fencing, roofing and HVAC items were the most common issues identified, according to the meeting presentation. There were also issues with the irrigation system based on installation. Although Joeris General Contractors worked with the city to ensure the subcontractor made the necessary corrections, roof leaks and other structural issues continued to be reported following the project’s one-year warranty period, according to the presentation.

Upon expiration of the warranty period and following continuous roof leak reports, Joeris General Contractors returned to the site in 2025 to address the roof leaks and hired a new roofing contractor to assess, reinforce and repair the roof, according to the presentation. Other issues discovered after the warranty period include pavement lifting, fence panels shifting and water infiltration in electrical conduits, according to the presentation.

“I know that it can be frustrating to continue to see those issues linger, but we need to first understand exactly what is happening and who or what is responsible before we can go in and make those repairs,” Matney said.

Reports of sewer line breaks occurred in September 2025 and again in July due to ground swelling, issues the city is working to repair, Matney said.

District 6 City Council member Nikki Shaw said she recently visited the facility and that there were three dehumidifiers in the arms room that have operated 24/7, which was concerning.

“Ammo and weapons and humidity cause rust and misfiring,” Shaw said.

New Braunfels Police Chief Osbaldo Flores said issues with the armory have not been brought to his attention, although they will continue to monitor it should it change based on factors like humidity standards.

"Should that occur, then we will make a plan to be able to mitigate that and at least move the items to a different location," Flores said.

District 3 City Council member D. Lee Edwards said his concern was with the engineer.

“The question becomes, how far can we hold the engineer accountable for bad design that has led to a real cluster in this particular case. This is disgraceful,” Edwards said.

Looking back

In 2019, voters passed Proposition 3, which allocated $50,414,750 to Fire Stations No. 2 and 3 and a police headquarters with a Veterans Memorial Park.

The project’s scope consisted of constructing a new police station to replace existing police facilities, which included office space, a training room, a gym, vehicle maintenance bays and an evidence storage space. A Veterans Memorial was also constructed as part of the headquarters project to recognize the service that New Braunfels residents have given to the United States. The police headquarters and Veterans Memorial project cost $36,311,250, according to the presentation.

The City Council at the time awarded a $23,131,900 construction contract—which included contingency—to Joeris General Contractors based on cost, project experience, proposed schedule, previous experience with the city or other municipalities and references.

Other key players involved in the project include civil engineer firm HMT, Houston-based DBR Engineering Consultants and geotechnical engineer Terracon.

Public input

New Braunfels resident Angela Keller said Joeris General Contractors has worked on other projects, including the New Braunfels High School Phase 1 replacement campus.

“If there’s issues with the police headquarters, then there are issues with those buildings as well,” Keller said. “The taxpayers of New Braunfels deserve better than paying twice for a building that should have been built right the first time."

District 6 resident Leah Garcia, who was on City Council when the property was purchased and when the bond package was administered, said they did their due diligence in finding a location for the project. She also said the police department had previously left a situation where rats were falling out of the ceiling, offices were in closets and they had sewage problems.

“Whatever you have to do, and whatever takes place, go ahead and move forward with it. Just know that moving that many people and all that equipment, there’s not really a temporary building in New Braunfels where we can just shove them in right now. And starting over from scratch isn’t going to be your best solution, or let me rephrase that, your easiest solution,” Garcia said.

Stay tuned

The analysis is expected to be completed in October, Matney said.

“We are doing what we can to move forward and identify the issues so that we can make the repairs that are needed,” she said.